March FET Group (Frozen Embryo Transfers)

clare40

@thezaltyberger Happy Birthday! 🎉and Congrats on your second beta 🎉

clare40

I got the ok to switch from PIO to Crinone 8% gel (twice a day). So, it will not be a cold stop as I was thinking. I will be on crinone for 10 days and then will stop taking progesterone..
But it does scare me if the change will have any effect in hormone balance.. 

chartput

@clare40, I was on crinone twice daily and PIO every 3 days from the start. My first levels were appropriate but lowish and from what I understand its because the progesterone suppositories don't get into the blood stream as well, but gets into the endometrial tissue just the same. I have done a lot of research (physician over here) and all of the studies show the same outcomes of live birth with pio vs crinone. Hopefully a little reassurance for you.

clare40

@chartput this is very helpful and reassuring, thank you. I am told to overlap pio and crinone for a day and then switch.. 

sfield21

@mbradfo2 good luck today with your scan! 🤞🏻💗☺️

sfield21

TW

Well for some crappy news, I had a miscarriage last night. I started bleeding around 2pm and had some cramps on and off. Bleeding was fairly heavy but I had that last time and it was an SCH. I went in today for bloodwork and US and they confirmed I was no longer pregnant. Bummed to say the least. We have 2 more untested embryos.... just waiting to hear from the Dr on our path forward. 

chartput

@sfield21
I am so sorry! Miscarriage is never easy, no matter what the stage or how many embryos you have left. We go through so much in this process and for it to end that way is worse than it not working at all. Hugs to you. I'm hoping for better outcomes with your other embryos.

@mbradfo2
hope your ultrasound goes well today!!

mbradfo2

@sfield21
I'm sorry so for your loss. No matter how many back up plans you have -- a loss is still a loss.

@chartput
Thanks for asking! It went perfectly -- baby girl measuring on track and with a good heartrate of 132. RE is happy so just waiting on pins and needles until next week when I get my follow up ultrasound.

[Deleted User]

@sfield21 ((((hugs))))

<div class=" Spoiler">I am so very sorry.  Nothing about this process feels easy or fair sometimes.</div>

vl__2019

@sfield21 omg soo sorry!!! Ugh this sucks...sending u lots of love

clare40

@sfield21 so sorry to hear about your loss. Hugs to you 🧡

chartput

@mbradfo2 oh Im so glad! My next ultrasound is next week too, my RE made me wait 2 weeks, which of course makes me question every change in symptom. Why dont my boobs hurt as much today? Is that a fleck of brown I see with my progesterone discharge? I feel less tired, something must be wrong. The mind games are endless.

thezaltyberger

I’m so so so terribly sorry @sfield21 ❤️❤️❤️ thinking of you and sending you love. I wish I could give you a hug.

mbradfo2

@chartput
So I work in a small pediatrics office -- we have only two bathrooms (one toilet each) and only one is for employees. The MA's keep the key to it in the lab. During my first tri, I was obsessively checking for blood ALL the time when I even felt some moistness/discharge. They must have thought I was crazy since I would ask to use the bathroom every 30 minutes practically XD

vl__2019

Got my transfer date its on the 28th 🤞🏽🤞🏽 I start progesterone on Friday.. only weird thing is last week my lining was 8.5 and today on the portal its saying 8.3🤔🤔...my RE said everything looked good with biopsy but didnt get into details, so frustrating.  Excited and nervous at the same time😩

mbradfo2

@vl__2019
I wouldn't worry to much about such a small variation in lining thickness -- your lining isn't going to be exactly the same thickness everywhere (nothing is that perfect) and it's such a tiny variation that it could even just be from measurement error/limitation. So exciting to have your transfer scheduled!!! Are you doing shots or suppositories for the progesterone or both? My butt is starting to run out of places that don't have knots from repeat injections!!

vl__2019

@mbradfo2 i told them i rather do the shots  because the suppositories sucked during my mock transfer and not trying to risk a yeast infection as im very sensitive down there!...my friend thats a nurse gave me this spray that’s supposed to help numb injection site..dk if its gna work tho...what was ur diet prior to transfer and what supplements are you taking and did u do the fries and pinapples? Lol

mbradfo2

@vl__2019
You'd be surprised at how effective that spray can be -- provided the area it's applied to is clean and dry! You can also try hot and cool pads to see if they soothe anything a bit (some people like cold compress, some people hot). I'm apparently a masochistic and just like to jab myself and get it over with quickly. 

As for diet, I try to focus on eating unprocessed foods -- lots of protein and good fats so a very Mediterranean diet. I love fish, steak, chops etc, usually cooked in some olive oil with garlic and spices,  and then I'll put some veggies on the side and a starch to finish it off. I'm a big believer in the French way of eating (I lived in France for a time) and I like to enjoy my food so I do a little of everything in moderation -- sweets, meats, fried foods, buttery sauces etc. Nothing off limits. I also love to cook though and am currently an at-home mom due so I have time to make dinners that take an hour or two to prepare hehe.  If you're more tight on time, a meal service like Hungryroot is great at helping you stock your fridge with healthy options/quick snacks+meals (and their black bean brownie batter is to die for). I probably have some coupons on my account to give out if you're interested! 

Supplements -- a prenatal with omega 3 fatty acids and folic acid (the brand name is Concept DHA), a Vitamin D pill, baby aspirin, CoQ10 and DHEA (although I think the DHEA is only beneficial for retrieval cycles). https://itstartswiththeegg.com/faq/preparing-for-embryo-transfer/  is a good reference for supplements that you can take.

For me, the most important thing around transfer is to not be stressed out -- so for both of my transfers, I've taken time off from work (well, I'm an at-home mom now so not as applicable but I tried to have some activities for my daughter so I could get plenty of me-time). Some people swear by acupuncture and yoga; I like to listen to music and sing. Whatever you can do to keep your stress level down is helpful. Also having a plan B is a great buffer mentally -- you feel less pressure since you have plans in place no matter how the transfer goes. 

vl__2019

@mbradfo2 im currently on myo- inositol & D - inositol, c0q10, metformin, vitamin D, probiotics, vitamin E..i wonder if i keep on with the supplements through pregnancy...i started Accupuncture 

vl__2019

@mbradfo2 thanks for that link its very helpful 

chartput

Graduated from the fertility clinic today. Baby was measuring right on track at 8+5 with a heartbeat of 176! We will start with our regular OB in 2 weeks.

vl__2019

@chartput yay so happy for u!!! That heartbeat is strong!!

mbradfo2

@chartput
Awesome!!!! I'm so excited for you!! That's a fabulous heart rate!! FX all continues smoothly!!! Graduation is such a huge milestone! I've been thinking of you all day and I'm so delighted to see good news!

My 8 week scan is tomorrow morning and I'm starting to really feel the anxiety. I've been super irritable all day so not sure if that's hormones or stress. The fatigue doesn't help much. I do have something to look forward to tomorrow other than the big scan (in keeping with my technique of softening any potential blow) -- the playmobil dollhouse bundle I ordered for DD as a surprise is scheduled to be delivered so we'll have fun setting that up at least. I haven't reordered my PIO or estrogen patches yet but the specialty pharmacy does next day delivery so I'll be able to do that tomorrow (FX for a good scan) and get everything in time as I have a few more injections and patches left. 

chartput

@vl__2019 thank you!

@mbradfo2 FX for a good scan tomorrow! I did the same waiting until today to order the rest of my progesterone and estrogen. Only 9 days left! I need to do the same with my next appt planning something for after my first OB visit. They arent letting my husband in there, so it's going to be a little tougher.

vl__2019

@mbradfo2 good luck 2maro..im sure everything will be fine❤️❤️

mbradfo2

@vl__2019
Thanks!

Everything went well with the scan! Baby girl is actually measuring a bit ahead right now and had a strong HB of 157! I have two more scans at my RE -- he normally graduates patients after two scans but he likes me to stay a little longer since I have had the m/c and vanishing twin. I don't complain! And then I should get a scan w/ the OB around 12 weeks since they always like to do their own dating scan. This was where we got confusion about DD's EDD since my RE had it at 4/28 based on GA but all of the dating scans put it at 4/26 since she was ahead on growth. 

vl__2019

@mbradfo2 yay so happy baby girl is growing ahead and strong!!

chartput

@mbradfo2 oh good! I was thinking about you today. Im glad it went well!

vl__2019

So I switched from the suppositories 2x a day and shot every 3 days from my mock transfer.. to shots every day.. today is day 3 and i experiencing cramps, is this normal?

chartput

@vl__2019 ive been on suppositories 2-3x daily depending on the brand and the shot every 3 days since my transfer, so I don't know if I will have a helpful answer for you. I did notice some cramping when I switched from crinone to endometrin, but I think its because the endometrin is a tablet and I was inserting it too far and it was irritating my cervix. I still get cramps occasionally at night, but I think its because I'm in bed and notice it more.

vl__2019

@chartput thank u for answering, i dnt feel them as much anymore but it worried me cuz I thought i was doing something wrong

clare40

Hi @vl__2019, was your transfer scheduled for today? Hope it goes smoothly. 

vl__2019

@clare40 yes it was, it was so easy and fast lol, just on the couch relaxing, praying this baby implants, my clinic didnt give me a picture of the embryo or the sono picture like i see alot of ppl get😢.. but im
fine, beta is on the 7th hoping for some goodluck, thats my parents anniversary and my birthday is on the 1st 😬😬

chartput

vl__2019 fx for you! just relax and consider yourself PASP!

clare40

Good luck for the 7th 😃🤞

mbradfo2

@vl__2019
Good luck on the 7th!!! Don't worry if you don't have many (or any) symptoms -- it would still be early. 

@chartput
Thinking of you -- do you have another scan tomorrow? I saw your comment about names -- I'm pretty settled on the name I like at least for the first name! Middle name is more difficult, I have a couple in the running. 

Go in for my 3rd scan on Friday (FX). I am hoping to graduate after my 4th scan the following Friday and then go to OB at around 12 weeks. Which reminds me to pick an OB...and make an appt!!

vl__2019

Thanks everyone ❤️❤️

clare40

Today I am 10w5d and I have my first OB appointment next week. I stopped all meds at 9.5 weeks and things have been fine since then. I had my worst week for morning sickness (which for me starts after 5pm) on week 9. 

chartput

@mbradfo2 Thank you! No I dont have another ultrasound until next thursday which will be my first OB appt. But Ive been able to find the heartbeat on my doppler so thats reassured me whenever I feel like my symptoms are letting up a little lol. 

Thats funny, we actually have been set on middle names for awhile, its the first name we are still thinking about. I told DH that since I basically picked the middle names he could have final say on the first name as long as it was on both of our lists, but he cant make decisions to save his life so Im sure I will be strongly influencing his choice, lol.

FX for your appt friday! I stop my meds saturday, so Im looking forward to that. My OB said I could wean if it helped me mentally, but I dont really need to. I havent decided what Im going to do yet.

mbradfo2

@chartput
That's awesome that you were able to check on baby with the doppler this early! I didn't try until closer to 12 weeks and had a little difficulty at first but quickly became an old hand at it. I sorta became a little obsessed with the doppler during the pregnancy with DD -- I think I must have checked at least 5 times a week, if not more. It was just incredibly reassuring to me, esp. when anxiety was getting the better of me. The doppler was actually the way I realized the strange feelings in my belly were baby movements -- I had felt like something was different but couldn't put a finger on it...until I used the doppler and the moment I put it to my belly I started feeling the little movements! 

My husband is terrible at names in general and so he mostly just exercised his right to veto a name. It was very good that we have girls since he vetoed every single boy name I liked! When it came to girl names, he just didn't like the first name Mary since he felt it was too old fashioned but was fine with all my other choice!